


A brand-new deal

by Naidoo



Category: Stephanie Plum - Janet Evanovich
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-28
Updated: 2016-02-28
Packaged: 2018-05-23 18:24:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6125887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naidoo/pseuds/Naidoo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stephanie needs a date for her sister's wedding. Just, who to ask. Morelli is out of the picture, and Ranger doesn't seem like your typical Wedding-date. Of course her mother has a list of potentials. Good that Stephanie's own potential candidate is always good for a surprise. Sort of pre-Babe. rating is just to be on the safe side. ONESHOT</p>
            </blockquote>





	A brand-new deal

I really didn’t know how I got myself in situations like this! If it weren’t FTA’s that made my life a little bit more interesting or police investigations I more or less stumbled over or in really, than it were the men in my life that made sure it never got boring. Or maybe it was me all alone and I just liked to blame others. Maybe. 

Right now I was somewhat on a break again with Morelli and on some weird on-again situation with Ranger – though were we ever really on or off?   
My mother had already called twice today, reminding me that she really needed that name for my plus one to Valerie’s wedding in a few weeks. And that was the problem.   
Sighing I took my phone and dialed my parent’s number. 

“What do you mean you won’t bring a date?” my mother asked after I started explaining.

“Exactly how it sounds like. I’m on my own in this one.”

“Why can’t Joe come?” I heard her asking, and I wasn’t quite sure how to handle that question. 

“We aren’t really on speaking terms right now,” I answered evasively. Technically it wasn’t a fib. Not really. He had a new number. And was out of town. I didn’t have his new number – yet – and therefore hadn’t spoken to him in a few days. 

“Is it something that can’t be fixed in the next few weeks?” she asked and I sighed again. Technically her question wasn’t quite unusual. Me and Morelli had a rather strange relationship that usually was on for a few months and then off again for that same amount of time. I had stopped counting how often I had started a conversation with my mother with “Joe and me are on a break again”  
Naturally she assumed it was just a matter of time until I and Joe were back on again. It was just…. I wasn’t sure whether I actually wanted to be “back on again”. We had been through this circle several times and maybe there was a time when we had to let go and admit that this wasn’t really working out. But then again the sex was really good. Like…really, really good. But the same thing could be said about Ranger – well, for the few times I actually got to get that experience that is.   
There was a moment where I wondered whether I should just ask Ranger to accompany me to Val’s wedding. But... no. My relationship with Ranger was on the same level as complicated as my relationship with Morelli. Just without the constant break ups. 

Ranger seemed to magically appear whenever I was in need, was not the talkative type but could set your panties on fire with simply a look. The number of meanings he could put in “Babe” was endless and he had a never-ending supply in black, shiny, brand-new cars whose origins were rather questionable and vague. He never minded lending me one and never got upset when I called him usually a few hours later, telling him the car got lost, set on fire, flattened or other catastrophic things. His usual reply was him reminding me that “it is just a car” which always made me wonder.   
I didn’t know plenty of men who would take it as casual and easy-going when told you just destroyed yet another brandnew and expensive car of theirs and would offer you a replacement in the same sentence. Actually, I didn’t know any. And neither did any of my friends. Nothing ever seemed to upset Ranger – much. Though I couldn’t help but wonder whether me asking him to accompany me would change that. 

My mother apparently took my silence as cue to start going her usual “we could ask” routine. Her supply of single and “mom-appropriate” men was as endless as her supply of job opportunities.

“You know, Johnny Costello has recently been divorced and asked me the other day how you’ve been doing. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind coming with you.”

There was a moment where I wondered if I should try explaining that in regards of first dates weddings seriously were a bad choice. Speaking of pressure. 

“Mom, Johnny Costello was going ozt with Val when they were in High School. Somehow I don’t think his idea of a great time is going to the wedding of his ex. Especially when he just went through a divorce.”

My mother seemed to think about that for a moment. “What about Gary Antonelli?”

“What about him?” in all fairness, I didn’t even the slightest idea who Gary was, but was confident that my mother would need less than a minute to clue me in. 

“You went to kindergarten together, before his family moved to Texas. He apparently moved back to Trenton a few weeks back. Louise Geranoda told me so herself.”


End file.
